Anti-money-laundering due diligence for lawyers, without ever bypassing the Bar.
A lawyer is subject to AML/CFT obligations only for certain activities — transactions, arrangements, fund management — and never for legal advice or court defence. When a suspicion arises, the route depends on the jurisdiction: in France, it goes through the President of the Bar and never directly through the financial intelligence unit. Vigilae understands this twofold distinctiveness and respects it by design.
- In France, the report is routed to the President of the Bar (art. L.561-17), never directly to the FIU
- Scope of obligations and legal-advice / court-defence exemption (art. L.561-3) restated on every case
- Due diligence, screening and beneficial owners recorded — a reconstructable evidence file
Score out of 100 in 2 minutes · No credit card · No commitment
Vigilae, in 57 seconds.
From scattered files to a sealed register: the AI perceives, the engine classifies, you decide, the proof is sealed.
57 seconds · English voiceover · subtitles available · sound on demand
A regime unlike that of any other profession.
The Bar as filter
In France, the suspicious transaction report passes through the President of the Bar, who forwards it to the FIU after checking. Direct transmission is prohibited (art. L.561-17 CMF).
The advice exemption
Legal advice and court defence fall outside the scope — except where the advice is provided for money-laundering purposes. The judgement remains yours.
A precise scope
You are subject to obligations only for targeted activities: real-estate transactions, management of companies or funds, financial operations. But you still have to tell them apart from the rest of your practice.
The only tool that sends the report where it should go.
To the right recipient
The draft report carries the recipient for YOUR jurisdiction from the outset — in France, the President of the Bar — and, where applicable, restates the ban on transmitting directly to TRACFIN. No procedural misstep.
Regulated or not
Every case restates the scope of AML/CFT obligations and the legal-advice / court-defence exemption, so that due diligence covers the right transactions.
Secrecy preserved
The tool prepares and records; the judgement — whether or not to report, in keeping with professional secrecy — remains yours.
Reconstructable
Time-stamped register and evidence file: enough to demonstrate due diligence without ever exposing the content of a report.
Vigilae respects your Bar's reporting channel.
Your AML/CFT supervisory authority depends on your jurisdiction. For the jurisdiction or jurisdictions in which this page is read:
- Ireland — Law Society of Ireland (solicitors); Legal Services Regulatory Authority — LSRA (barristers, including those outside the Law Library) s. 60(2)(c) for solicitors; s. 60(2)(d) for barristers, the LSRA having replaced the General Council of the Bar of Ireland under the Criminal Justice (MLTF) (Amendment) Act 2021, s. 18(a) and (d), in force as at 23/04/2021
- Malta — Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) — the Chamber of Advocates is not among the “supervisory authorities” listed in reg. 2; AML/CFT supervision is not delegated to the bar PMLA (Cap. 373) art. 26(1); PMLFTR (S.L. 373.01) reg. 2, definition of “relevant activity”, point (c)
Vigilae covers all 27 Member States: each firm declares its jurisdiction and finds its authority, its filing portal and its national references. See the 27 jurisdictions.
Your questions, our clear answers.
Does Vigilae file the report on my behalf?
No — and certainly not directly. The draft report carries the recipient for YOUR jurisdiction from the outset — in France, the President of the Bar — and, where applicable, restates the ban on transmitting directly to the FIU. You validate and transmit; the decision to report remains yours.
Does legal advice fall within scope?
In principle no: legal advice and activity connected to court proceedings fall outside the reporting scope, unless the advice is given in the knowledge of a money-laundering purpose. Vigilae flags this boundary; the judgement is yours.
For which activities am I actually subject to AML/CFT obligations?
For your participation, in the name and on behalf of your client, in transactions (real-estate, financial) or in the management of companies, funds or structures, and for assistance in preparing them. Vigilae helps frame these transactions without standing in for your analysis.
Measure your AML/CFT maturity — without bypassing your Bar.
The free audit gives you a score out of 100, your 3 priority weaknesses and a recommendation, tailored to legal practice. In two minutes.
No credit card · No commitment · Guided onboarding
Vigilae assists the professional with their AML/CFT obligations. The tool perceives, structures, screens and documents; the professional remains the sole decision-maker and the sole party reporting to the FIU.